Basic Heavy strategy

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I have plan for you: more pain! Click to listen — The Heavy

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The Heavy is the largest, toughest and slowest class in the game. With a Medic, he wades in where others dare not. His usefulness as a shock troop on the front lines, defense breaker, and wide-area defender should not be underestimated by either side.

General

• Holding your alternate fire will keep your Minigun revved and ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

• Although the Heavy has a lot of Health, a well-placed Sniper shot can take him down in one hit. Be careful in wide-open places.

• As a Heavy you're always a prime target for Spies, so make sure to turn around often and Spy check.

• Standing next to a Dispenser provides you a constant supply of ammo, allowing you to fire your Minigun without stopping.

• Though you do the most damage up close, you still do damage at range. Good aim is not required, your spread will take care of that.

• If one is available, take a Teleporter. Even a poorly placed exit will usually save some time.

• Remember to team up with a Medic if possible. The extra health makes you both difficult targets.

• When teamed with a Medic, stay near cover so that the fragile Medic can avoid attacks.

Weapon Specific Tips

A list of useful tidbits about the Heavy's tools.

Minigun / Iron Curtain

• The Minigun, or Sasha, is a great ambush weapon; think of it as a Shotgun with a high rate of fire and no reload time. Ambush foes from around corners, high places, and concealed areas.

• You can rev your Minigun at the start of a jump. This gives you a moment of extra speed, and can be useful when you expect an enemy to be waiting right around the corner.

• By the same token, few people expect a Heavy to fall from the sky with Minigun spun up and ready. Stages with vertical peaks such as Gravel Pit and Granary make great places to use this ambush strategy.

• If the enemy team has many combat classes, it is a better idea to take this over Natascha.

• At mid-range or closer, the Minigun has a higher damage output than any other weapon in the game, except for Critical hits, Backstabs, and the Brass Beast. Keep this in mind and stand your ground when facing opponents one-on-one.

Natascha

• Enemies taking damage from Natascha will find themselves moving slower for an instant, sometimes forcing them to face you instead of running away.

• It inflicts 25% less damage than the normal Minigun, so you'll find that it takes slightly longer to finish off enemies. At medium range, it's best against light, fast classes.

• Watch out for direct combat against other Heavies with non-Natascha based if you are using Natascha.

• Natascha can interrupt taunts, including taunt attacks. It can also interrupt the consumption of "lunchbox" items such as the Sandvich and Bonk! Atomic Punch.

• The slowdown of Natascha also affects vertical momentum, meaning that any opponent trying to jump (including rocketjumps and stickyjumps) will fall like a stone if hit.

• Natascha can stop a charging Demoman in his tracks. You only need one hit, so this ability can be used to protect teammates from some distance.

• Eating the Dalokohs Bar with Natascha will boost your health by 50 HP and gives you a better chance against Sasha-wielding Heavies.

Brass Beast

• The Brass Beast is arguably the strongest hitscan weapon in the game. However, it has many harsh restrictions.

• The Beast's spinup time is extremely long. Unless you are being actively healed, almost any combat class can kill you in an ambush.

• The Beast's revved movement speed is extremely slow. Unless you are being actively healed, almost any explosive class can successfully corner you while you're firing.

• Because of the Brass Beast's extremely slow movement speed while revving, it is not recommended to engage in open combat areas, as Snipers can easily headshot you from a distance.

• For these reasons, use The Brass Beast from mostly static locations. Ideally, you should be in place and spun up before the fight begins.

• Consider carrying the Shotgun with the Beast. You'll benefit from the flexibility and fast response times.

Shotgun

• The Shotgun is the maneuvering weapon of the Heavy. Use it when moving from point to point.

• If you believe the speed decrease and spin-up time of the Minigun will be a hindrance to a successful attack, switch to your Shotgun instead.

• If your team has lots of able-bodied Medics, then it is a better idea to bring this over the Sandvich, since healing yourself is not an issue and the Medics can heal each other.

• The Shotgun is great if you have low Minigun ammo and don't want to waste it on Spies or Pyros.

Sandvich

• If the enemies are coming in waves or your team has few Medics, bring this because you will need all the health you can get.

• Without your Shotgun, Snipers are much deadlier, and without a fallback weapon it makes the limited ammo supply of the Minigun all the more scarce.

• The healing powers of the Sandvich work great with the Gloves of Running Urgently. You can quickly switch to the Sandvich, throw it on the ground, and continue your run through the area in quick succession.

• You can use alternate fire to throw your Sandvich for a teammate, healing 50% of their max health and stopping burn damage/bleeding. Enemy players can also pick up your thrown Sandvich, so keep an eye on it!

• You can pick up your own thrown Sandvich from the ground for instant healing.

• Picking up a health item while at full HP restores the Sandvich instantly.

• Share the Sandvich with your Medic.

• By throwing your Sandvich down immediately before a fight, you can increase your survivability by simply fighting until you run low on health, and then eating the dropped Sandvich. Use this in longer fights where you will remain stationary, such as when capturing or defending a point.

Dalokohs Bar

• The Dalokohs Bar heals much less HP than the Sandvich and can not be shared.

• The Dalokohs Bar can be particularly useful for Heavies that can obtain a constant source of healing but lack a nearby friendly Medic for overhealing, such as near a Dispenser, resupply cabinet, or large health pack.

• Even though the Dalokohs Bar allows your maximum health to rise up to 350, Medics can only overheal you to 450, making the bar less effective when there are numerous Medics on your team.

• Note that since the amount of HP you gain by picking up a health pack is based on your maximum health, health packs will be slightly more effective while under the influence of the Dalokohs Bar. In areas with numerous health packs, such as Medieval Mode, this can be quite useful.

Buffalo Steak Sandvich

• The Buffalo Steak Sandvich is a lot like Crit-a-Cola; it's powerful but extremely risky.
• The Gloves of Running Urgently is a poor choice when used in combination with the Steak Sandvich's effect; it's speed boost will not be applied and it will inflict 90 points of unavoidable self-damage. Your Mini-Crits will not even compensate for the halved base damage.
• The Killing Gloves of Boxing can be a devastating combination when used with the Steak Sandvich, as the increased damage makes the initial kill easier, and the increased speed allows the Heavy to attack fleeing opponents.
• The Fists of Steel are also a good choice for use with the Steak Sandvich; using the two in combination Heavy can quickly pass through a dangerous area while still taking reduced damage.

Fists

• Although they are melee weapons, Fists can be very powerful. Don't be afraid to spin down and switch to them if the going gets tough.
• Using the Fists in combination with the Sandvich can even up the fight if you're attacked by multiple enemies.

Killing Gloves of Boxing

• The slow swing speed coupled with the Heavies slow movement speed makes it a risky prospect. It is best to use it when you have an enemy cornered or caught unaware.

• If you manage a kill and you're in tight quarters with your enemies, feel free to keep swinging. Any Critical hit will instantly kill all but Soldiers, Heavies, and other overhealed foes.

• You can switch to your Minigun of choice or the Shotgun immediately after making a K.G.B kill and use the guaranteed Critical hits with those weapons instead.

• Keep in mind however that spinning up the Minigun eats up a lot of your Critboost time.

Gloves of Running Urgently

• Use the GRU to reach the front lines quickly.

• Use the GRU to escape from dangerous foes.

• With the added speed, you can complete some jumps that you couldn't before.

• With a Medic healing you, you can negate the -6 damage penalty and help build their ÜberCharge at the same time.

• Remember that the GRU does much less damage than a standard melee weapon, so it may not be wise to get into a melee fight.

• Use the gloves while ubercharged to reach enemy Sentry nests and other targets that are easiest to destroy at short range.

Fists of Steel

• The Fists of Steel make you very difficult to kill at range. You can tank small Sentry Guns and even survive two Sniper headshots in a row. Use this advantage to cross open areas safely.

• These gloves work well with the Buffalo Steak Sandvich, but avoid extended melee fights. You'll take 270% damage from every blow.

• Soldiers wielding the Equalizer are extremely dangerous. Even without a Critical hit or Crit boosting effects, a single hit from one can deal as much as 226 damage.

• With the aid of a nearby Soldier's Battalion's Backup, you can absorb even greater amounts of firepower.

• If your Minigun runs low on ammo or a fight becomes too much, Fists of Steel can be used to shield your retreat to resupply or regroup.

• A clever Heavy can weapon-heckle with the Shotgun, shooting players wielding melee weapons, and quickly switching back to the Fists of Steel to combat players with ranged weapons.

• If you have your fists of steel out and an enemy comes at you with his melee weapon, quickly switch to your minigun for minimum damage.

Warrior's Spirit

• This weapon has the highest Critical melee damage.
• While having 20 less Health points may not sound like much, in a fight with another Heavy it can be fatal.
• The Dalokohs Bar can more than compensate for your reduced health, although a Medic's Overheal is even better.
• Using the Buffalo Steak Sandvich with this will guarantee 112 damage with every hit, meaning you can take out any class in two hits except for other Heavies.

See also

• Team strategy